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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26067775">Special Training Time with Ben and Klaus</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/dramaq/pseuds/dramaq'>dramaq</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Umbrella Academy (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ben doesn't dissapear, Ben is a Good Brother, Fluff, Gen, Klaus is a good brother, Klaus works on his powers, Post-Season/Series 02, Tickle fic, Tickling, everything is fine, lee!Klaus, ler!Ben, mention of ben/jill</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 12:14:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,997</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26067775</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/dramaq/pseuds/dramaq</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Post season 2, set in a universe in which Ghost-Ben never disappeared and our seven favorite siblings returned to their original time and timeline.</p><p>Ben guilt-trips Klaus into staying sober and strengthening his abilities in order to give Ben a more concrete relationship with the physical world. Ben's idea of training, however, is a little unconventional...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ben Hargreeves &amp; Klaus Hargreeves</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>51</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Special Training Time with Ben and Klaus</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Set post S2 in a canon-divergent AU where Ghost-Ben didn’t “die” and everything was fine when they all teleported home</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Klaus had only apologized a hundred thousand times to Ben. And really, Ben is usually the reasonable one, reminding Klaus when things like the fate of the </span>
  <em>
    <span>human race</span>
  </em>
  <span> is at stake…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“-and I didn’t even get to kiss her!” Ben finished his most recent rant and collapsed into the bean bag chair, which made the slightest rustling sound.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Klaus generously removed the heels of his hands from his eyes. “Are you </span>
  <em>
    <span>quite</span>
  </em>
  <span> finished?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Screw you, dude,” Ben retorted, but there was no real malice in it. Instead, Ben was now preoccupied with the bean bag chair. He was repeatedly pressing his finger into the soft cushion and watching as the fabric give way beneath him. “You know, you’re getting pretty good at this,” he mumbled. “I can actually feel it now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Klaus relaxed, relieved that the subject had been changed. “Really? That’s awesome, man.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wonder if I could taste things too… You know hot dogs are the food I miss the most? Isn’t that weird?” Ben’s hand phased through the bean bag, and he scowled up at Klaus. “Come on, man!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry! Sorry!” Klaus’ hands flew up defensively. “I lost focus.” Klaus’ eyes darted to the door of his bedroom. “I need a </span>
  <em>
    <span>drink</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh no you don’t!” Ben jumped in between Klaus and the door. “You’re not throwing out your sobriety now!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I already </span>
  <em>
    <span>did</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Ben!” he whined. “What does it matter now? We stopped the apocalypse. Twice! Whoopie!” He twirled his finger.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben’s expression darkened. “You owe me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Klaus did </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> like this serious, mean Ben. But still… guilt coiled in his gut. Ben had a right to be angry and upset. At him in particular.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Klaus groaned dramatically. “What do you </span>
  <em>
    <span>want</span>
  </em>
  <span> from me?” He spun around and collapsed face down on his bed. He could have walked straight through his brother, sure. But he knew it would be perhaps a little too disrespectful for this particular moment. Klaus did have </span>
  <em>
    <span>some</span>
  </em>
  <span> sense of social grace.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Klaus sensed Ben sitting on the bed behind him. He didn’t bother to make him corporeal, so it was more accurate to say that Ben hovered on the bed behind him. He sensed Ben extending a hand to hover over Klaus’ back, and he allowed Ben’s hand to make real contact. Such a small thing really didn’t take much effort now, and the contact felt nice. A little colder than a living hand, but still soft and firm and comforting. Ben started making slow circles on his back, and he sighed, sinking into the pillows.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry you didn’t get to kiss her,” Klaus whispered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben’s hand stuttered, but continued the slow circles. “Thanks… I know it’s not your fault we had to go back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Klaus smiled and nuzzled into his pillow. “Good ol’ Benny. The most emotionally mature ghost I know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben snorted. They continued like that for a while, in comfortable companionship, until Klaus lost focus again and Ben’s icy hand slipped through his skin. Klaus shivered and rolled onto his back to look up at Ben.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben was looking at his own hand wistfully. “I liked that. I like being able to feel.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Klaus rolled his eyes and groaned, flinging an arm over his forehead. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Fine</span>
  </em>
  <span>, I’ll stay sober.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben’s sparkling grin was almost enough to combat the instant regret he felt at his declaration. Almost. Being a good person sucked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you’ll work on getting better at it?” Ben’s voice was uncharacteristically small, hopeful.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Klaus whined to himself. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Yes</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben dove in for a hug, and Klaus almost didn’t react quickly enough to avoid an unpleasant encounter, but he was able to make the right boots physical, and Ben’s hug was nice, and soft, and worth it. He truly wouldn’t be able to do this if he had various substances coursing through his veins.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben pulled away and looked at Klaus with a smirk. Something about that expression filled Klaus with a vaguely familiar sense of foreboding. “What is it </span>
  <em>
    <span>now</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Time for training,” Ben’s voice lilted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Klaus groaned. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Now</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have an idea.” Ben wagged his eyebrows and wiggled his fingers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Klaus flushed and covered his face with his hands. “Nooooo. Why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben positioned himself above Klaus, straddling him on the bed. “Because you need to learn how to focus enough through any distraction.” He leaned in to whisper in Klaus’ ear. “And because you </span>
  <em>
    <span>like</span>
  </em>
  <span> it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Klaus felt his face flush redder at those words, but before Klaus could confess or deny it, Ben’s fingers made contact with his sides. Klaus squealed and giggled wildly. Just as in childhood, Ben knew exactly where to poke and prod and wiggle his fingers to drive Klaus wild.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The only difference now was that no matter how much Klaus thrashed, there was just no throwing a semi-corporeal Ben off of him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben smirked down at Klaus as he spidered his hands up and down his sensitive torso. “If you really wanted it to stop…” Ben teased.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sh-shut up!” Klaus stuttered. He followed Ben’s roaming hands with his own, flailing and slapping himself to no avail.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben zeroed in on a particularly bad spot, digging in right at the bottom of his ribs and Klaus screamed out. Ben’s hands momentarily phased through Klaus’ body, but then they were back in all their torment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Careful…” Ben taunted. “If you lose focus, I’ll go right inside you. And I’ll stay there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They both knew how much Klaus disliked the feeling of Ghosty Ben freezing out his organs. Klaus looked up at him with wide-eyed fear, but he couldn’t stop laughing even to protest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben eventually showed mercy and tried a softer touch, lightly brushing his fingers up and down Klaus’ ribs and along his chest. Klaus’ noises quieted down into softer, squealing giggles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben trailed one hand down to Klaus’ belly, and Klaus reflexively curled in on himself, momentarily forcing Ben’s hand to phase through his guts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No!” He cried out and slammed his body back on the bed, straightening out so that Ben could withdraw his hand. But Ben didn’t. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Beeen!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Klaus whined, his teeth already chattering.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben teasingly used his free hand to trail over Klaus’ flushed chest. “You can do it Klaus, force me out.” Ben curved his free hand back over to Klaus’ ribs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No-ho-ho….” Klaus giggled. His body was overwhelmed by dueling sensations. The deeply uncomfortable, horribly invasive, icy feeling in his gut and the almost torturous light tickling on his ribs. He felt like his head was going to explode.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Plea-ease!” Klaus gasped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Force me out,” Ben insisted. He pushed his ghost arm further through Klaus, which Klaus reacted to with an open-mouthed, soundless scream. He poked his fingers through Klaus’ back and was delighted to find that they instantly regained physical form. Interesting. Maybe Klaus truly couldn’t make Ben’s hand enter the physical world while it was literally inside him. No matter. Ben used this opportunity to wiggle his newly solid fingertips along Klaus’ back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Klaus’ entire body jolted. “N-no! That’s… so… </span>
  <em>
    <span>weird</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” Klaus gasped out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben couldn’t help but laugh along with him. He imagined what Klaus would look like to an outside eye, thrashing and flailing and fighting at nothing, all while laughing his head off. Still, this may have been the longest Klaus has been able to keep Ben (at least partially) in contact with the real world. He decided to show some pity. He slowly removed his arm from Klaus’ body, watching as Klaus convulsed and shivered with perhaps a tad of sadistic pleasure. After letting Klaus catch his breath for a moment, he dug both hands into his brother’s soft belly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Klaus cried out and slapped blindly at himself. “Are-aren’t we done? Pleeeease!” Tears began forming at the corners of his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben continued on for a while as if he hadn’t heard, watching Klaus laugh and flail and suffer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Klaus knew that truly, he could escape Ben if he wanted to, he felt the potential of his power clearer than ever. But although every shred of his body was fighting against the tortuous tickly sensations on his stomach, he also knew that a part of him craved it, wanted Ben to truly render him speechless, into a giggling, jello-y puddle, the way he always had when they were kids.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Perhaps this is part of why he had spent so much of his life high, perhaps this was the high he was truly chasing. His head felt airy and light, like he was the one floating, slightly out of touch with the physical world, in contact only with Ben’s fingers as they spidered back to his sides now, climbing up his ribs, giving each one close attention. Finally, Ben pulled back, and Klaus felt a flicker of disappointment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ok, last thing,” Ben said. To his amazement, Klaus saw that Ben was more opaque all over, almost entirely losing his ambient, ghost-y glow. “Five minute challenge.” Ben easily encircled each of Klaus’ wrists and pinned them above his head. Klaus was so shocked that he almost lost focus. “Stay still for five minutes…” Ben released him and grinned when he saw that Klaus didn’t budge. “And we’re done for the day.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Klaus rolled his eyes. “Oh is that all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben smirked. “If you can’t do it, it’ll be longer next time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Klaus pouted. “You’re setting me up to fail,” he whined.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben shrugged. “But you love it.” And with that he slowly, agonizingly slowly brought his wiggling fingers down to Klaus’ most sensitive spot, honing in on his exposed armpits.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Klaus whined in anticipation, fighting to keep his peevish pout on his face even as his cheeks grew hot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben made the slightest contact, a little butterfly touch, a tingle, and Klaus all but screamed. Ben pulled back and looked down at Klaus’ flushed panting face. “You doing okay there?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Screw you!” Klaus spat back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben grinned and brought his fingers up to Klaus’ elbows. Klaus jumped at the touch and squirmed as Ben slowly trailed down his arms… closer… closer…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Klaus was already a giggling mess, his arms flexing and spazzing, struggling to stay up. Just as Ben was about to get there, he trailed back up Klaus’ arm, and Klaus couldn’t help but groan.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh?” Ben feigned surprise. “Is this not good enough for you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Beeeen,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Klaus whined.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben glanced at the clock. “Restarting the five minutes them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not fai-” Klaus didn’t get the chance to finish his protest, because this time, Ben dove right in for his armpits, and he was merciless. Klaus’ laughter mixed with ear-shattering screams as he flailed from side to side, struggling to keep his arms still. Tears rolled down his cheeks. He couldn’t breathe. It tickled worse, more intensely than anything he could imagine. Finally, he couldn’t bear it anymore, and without even deciding to, his arms snapped down, and in the same moment, Ben’s fingers phased through his skin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thankfully, Ben withdrew his ghost-y digits immediately and floated a safe distance away from Klaus’ thrashing body.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Klaus calmed down enough, Ben returned to the bed, happily seeing that the fabric of the bedspread gave way under his body. “Thanks for letting me do that,” Ben said sincerely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Klaus sat up and wiped a tear from his eye. “Well that was </span>
  <em>
    <span>awful</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mmmhmm,” Ben hummed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Truly horrible.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I hated</span>
  <em>
    <span> every</span>
  </em>
  <span> second.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seemed like it.” Ben nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Klaus grinned stupidly at his brother. “You know the best part of you being dead is that you can keep my secrets.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben quirked an eyebrow. “That’s fucked up, dude.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Slowly, Klaus raised his hand and Ben mirrored him. Their hands made contact, pressing firmly against each other. Both stared in wonder as their hands twisted, fingers separating, threading their hands together. Klaus squeezed, hard, and Ben’s hand remained firm. Ben squeezed back, and Klaus laughed aloud.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” Ben breathed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Same time tomorrow?” Klaus tilted his head, looking uncharacteristically timid.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben smiled wide and nodded. “Of course.”</span>
</p>
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